The Marc Wasiak Foundation
Our Vision
Marc Wasiak was an inspirational mentor and a great creative spirit, and the establishment of the Marc Wasiak Foundation will share his ethos with the broader creative and cultural community.
The Marc Wasiak Foundation promotes and nurtures cross disciplinary creative practice by individuals and groups who have a curiosity and wish to challenge the status quo.
Our Purpose
A Melbourne-based not-for-profit initiative to support, promote and celebrate Australian creatives who focus on cross-pollinated creative practice, ideas provocation and the ability to generate creative and challenging outputs. Initiatives include mentorship, showcasing and promotion.
We recognise that cross disciplinary creative practice provides a platform for new ideas, creative solutions and offers a life-enhancing dynamic to support the broader cultural landscape. The foundation aims to make a significant and measurable impact on the creative economy, while embracing cross disciplinary art and design practices and supporting the next generation of creative provocateurs.
Through the Marc Wasiak Fellowship we promote and encourage creative expression that amplifies cross disciplinary practice that is disruptive, challenging and thought provoking while embracing beauty and aesthetics.
Our Advocates
The Marc Wasiak Foundation has been established by a group of creative and cultural practitioners established in their respective fields who aim to maintain the legacy of Marc Wasiak as an inspired mentor, provocateur and prolific creator. Advocates from across the fields of photography, fashion, creative production, marketing, public relations, styling and event management (all areas in which Marc excelled) have joined together to advocate in Marc’s name the future of creative ideas and production in Australia. Our advocates represent the strength and innovation for which Melbourne art and design culture is regarded.
The Marc Wasiak Foundation supports creatives across all fields with a focus on supporting diversity (including indigenous and LGBTIQA) and emerging artists, designers and creative conceptualisers. The foundation encourages emerging creatives with mentorship programs and the Marc Wasiak Fellowship. The Foundation aims to link innovators with the broader community of cultural creatives including established galleries, museums and educational institutes.
Our Principles
The principles we embrace include:
Innovation
We are committed to helping expand the notion of creative practice by challenging mainstream ideas and breaking down the silos of mono-disciplinary practice. We are committed to supporting work that can provoke ideas by challenging or questioning societal norms and will promote and celebrate the work of creatives who explore new territories, challenge traditions and offer unique and thought-provoking perspectives.
Opportunity
We believe it is important to elevate and make more visible the work of creatives who are generating challenging and thought-provoking work and we will commit resources to support opportunities for creatives to showcase ideas and share their expertise
Community
The foundation will provide opportunities for building a creative community whose ideas and outputs are shared. We recognise that creative practitioners play a central role in building a healthy and vibrant society and that by supporting the current and next generation of creative practitioners we will stimulate the production of exceptional and inspiring ideas and work for the broader public to share.
Diversity
The foundation advocates for divergent perspectives to stimulate a culture of positivity and courage. We have an emphasis on supporting cross disciplinary and cross-cultural practice. The foundation embraces all, with no barriers across culture, age or alignment. Active engagement with First Nations and LGBTIQA communities is integral to its ethos.
Our Initiatives
The Marc Wasiak Foundation supports creative opportunities and ideas development through the following:
The Marc Wasiak Fellowship
Mentorship/Traineeship Program
Annual Exhibition
Annual Capsule Collection, such as the MW Scarf